Originally earning his invite with a win at the Malaysia Festival of Speed, Paco Sarmiento became a late addition to Team Philippines in the 2025 Asia Pacific Motorsport Championship (APMC) after the designated Karting Senior driver was unable to travel to Sri Lanka. The move paid off for the Automobile Association Philippines (AAP), as Sarmiento delivered an impressive 4th place finish in Sunday’s Finals.
Paco has already built a solid reputation as a rising talent, despite having only taken up karting in 2024, competing in international events across Asia and Europe. To his advantage, he also had DoubleR Motorsport supporting him in the APMC – the same team he has been racing with throughout this season.
Friday practice offered little time to adapt to the 1.216 km Sri Lanka Karting Circuit, with just five sessions to learn the track — three of which were run in wet conditions. He qualified a lowly 11th out of 14 competitors but quickly turned things around once racing began.
Racing told a different story.
In Heat 1, Paco launched from P11 and wasted no time moving forward, climbing to P9 on the opening lap and reaching P7 just two laps later. Once the field spread out, he held steady to the flag to secure 7th.
Heat 2 provided the first real breakthrough. A first-corner pileup eliminated several drivers and forced a restart, which gave Paco a second chance. This time, he delivered one of his strongest drives of the weekend, mixing it with the front-runners and battling for a podium position. Though he ultimately crossed the line in 4th, it was a hard-earned result that showed his true pace.
Momentum carried into the Super Heat. Starting from P5, Paco avoided the opening corner chaos and emerged in P2. He defended bravely under immense pressure from a train of four karts behind, but the challenge eventually wore him down and he slipped to 6th by the finish.
A poor getaway in the all-important Finals left him squeezed into P7 on the opening lap. Undeterred, he went on the attack, regaining lost ground and chipping away at the leaders’ advantage. By lap 10, he was back in P5, and on the very last lap he made a decisive move to take 4th, falling just one step short of the podium.
Despite the early setbacks, Paco’s debut for Team Philippines in the 2025 APMC was a standout performance. Coming straight from a packed schedule that saw him race in Mariembourg (Belgium), Bira (Thailand), and Campillos (Spain), the young Filipino stepped up when called upon and delivered results that brought pride to the Philippine contingent.
[Photos courtesy of Pit Pass Sri Lanka]
